Two female lawmakers won’t allow the statement issued by Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin about getting a Filipina mail-bride pass.

Senator Loren Legarda said Baldwin’s statement, even if it was said as a joke, was “tasteless, chauvinist and racist”. She urged Baldwin to issue a public apology over his remarks that has been viewed by Filipinos all over the world through internet video-sharing site YouTube.

“Filipino women are not for sale, not even to Hollywood actors [like Baldwin],” said Legarda in a press statement.

Legarda was reacting to comment made by the “30 Rock” actor during an interview on the “Late Show with David Letterman."

Baldwin was asked by Lettermen if he ever considered having a big family for himself. “I love to have more kids. I think about getting a Filipina mail-order bride or a Russian one. I'm 51," Baldwin remarked.

Like commodities

Aside from being illegal in the Philippines, Legarda pointed out that the practice of taking mail-order brides is just one step removed from prostitution.
 
“Women in general should not be treated as commodities to be ordered like fastfood or a pair of jeans to be discarded at the whim of the buyer,” said the Senator.

“I condemn all forms of commodification and objectification of women,” Legarda added.
 
Legarda explained that Republic Act 6955 or the Anti-Mail Order Bride Law had banned the practice in the Philippines, but not before numerous Filipino women had found themselves living hellish existences as “mail-order brides.”

Seminars 
 
Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, advised Baldwin to undergo anti-prostitution and anti-human trafficking seminars to make him realize why his remark was deeply offensive.

“He should be acquainted with the exploitative nature of the mail-order bride and human trafficking industry. Abuse is no joke, and it should not be trivialized through humor. He should come here and get in touch with women victims of prostitution and trafficking,” Hontiveros said.

While Legarda wanted an apology, Hontiveros said this simply would not be enough.

“We’ve been hurled with insults by people who were too quick to apologize out of political correctedness and to avoid public wrath. This time, they should be educated about the plight of Filipino women,” Hontiveros said in a press statement.

Hontiveros added “Napakabastos ng kanyang biro. It was foul and highly insulting.”

Hontiveros said that Baldwin does not deserve a Filipina wife “If he thinks that women can be ordered or that we’re merely for breeding purposes”.

Children

Furthermore, Hontiveros said the remark insults children who are likewise exposed to sexual abuse and prostitution.

“There are documented cases of mail-order brides involving minors. Jokes like this desensitize the public about the deplorable condition of exploited women and girl children. Pag pinagtatawanan ang isang mali at ginagawang biro, lalo na kung ang biro ay galing sa mga sikat na personalidad, ang nangyayari ay ito ay nagiging katanggap-tanggap at tama,” she pointed out.

Government's failure

The solon also lashed out at the government’s failure to curb human trafficking.

“It is quite easy for personalities like Alec Baldwin to joke about this because they don’t see any sincerity on the part of the government in addressing prostitution and trafficking. Kadalasan sinasabayan lang nito ang galit ng publiko. The government has turned a blind eye to human trafficking because it promotes labor migration and doesn’t want to offend receiving countries,” she stressed.

Last Sunday, Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla called Baldwin’s comment as “truly insensitive and uncalled for.”

A few months ago, lawmakers, migrant groups and Filipinos from around the world reacted strongly against a Hong Kong columnist who described the Philippines as a “nation of servant” in his column. A BBC comedy show also earned the ire of Filipinos worldwide when it showed a purported Filipina househelp being treated as a sex object by the skit’s main character.